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Popular Poker Game Types
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When it comes to the game of Poker, there are many game variants. Today's most popular poker game is unquestionably Texas Hold'em. However, there are several other very popular poker games as well. Here is description of these popular poker game types:

Texas Hold'em - Without a doubt, Texas Hold'em is the most popular poker game in casinos and online. Although this game has existed for many years, its popularity surge has developed over the last several years, which has come about via its popularity on the Internet, and its game play exposure on television (since it is the game played that determines the annual World Series of Poker champion). Within the Texas Hold'em realm, there are 3 distinct variants: (1) Limit Texas Hold'em which places restrictions on the amount that can be bet each round; (2) Pot Limit Texas Hold'em which limits the amount bet to what is in the pot; and (3) No Limit Texas Hold'em which places no limits that a player can bet in a given round. The key rules of Texas Hold'em are that each player initially receives two down cards (known as the pocket cards). Betting then takes place. Subsequently, three community cards are dealt face up, which all players can use, and another round of betting ensues. Then a fourth community card (known as the turn card) is dealt face-up. After another round of bets, a fifth and final community card (known as the river card) is dealt face-up. Again, if there are remaining players, another round of betting occurs. Any of the above rounds can be eliminated if a player goes "all in" (which occurs in the No Limit version of the game only) or if only one player in a given round is left after betting (or folding) occurs. Of the players remaining, the player with the best 5-card poker hand (out of the total of 7 cards) is declared the winner, and wins the pot.

Omaha Hi - Omaha Hi is a poker game where each player is dealt four cards face-down (known as hole cards), followed by five community cards that are dealt face-up. The key objective of this game is to garner the best five card hand using exactly two of the four hole cards, and three of the five community cards. Similar to the Texas Hold'em game, there are four rounds of betting: after the initial hole cards are dealt, after the first 3 community cards are revealed, after the "turn" community card is dealt face-up, and finally, after the "river" card is dealt face-up.

Omaha Hi/Lo - Omaha Hi/Lo is similar to the Omaha Hi poker game, with some subtle, yet powerful, differences. In Omaha Hi/Lo, the pot is split between both the Hi hand and the Low hand -- this means that there are two winners for every hand played. It is possible that a single hand can be both the Hi and Low winning hands (e.g., if you held an A, 2, 3, 4, 5 hand - you could have a winning Hi straight hand, and also a low hand). If there is no discernible Lo hand winner, then the entire pot goes to the Hi hand winner.

It should be mentioned that when qualifying for a Lo hand win, both straights (see above example) and flushes are not counted. Additionally, another idiosyncrasy of the game is that you can use different cards for your Lo and Hi card considerations, or you can use the same hand for both.

Omaha 8 or Better - Omaha 8 is an off-shoot of the Omaha Hi/Lo game. There are two winners for each hand, one Lo hand and one Hi hand, similar to Omaha Hi/Lo. However, in order to qualify for a Lo hand win, you must have an 8 or lower (that is, you cannot have a card higher than an 8 in your Lo hand). As in Omaha Hi/Lo, both straights and flushes do not count against you, and are not used in calculating the Lo hand. Also, similar to Omaha Hi/Lo, you can use different cards when considering your Hi and Lo hands. A unique distinction in the Omaha 8 or Better game, is that for a Lo hand to qualify as a winner, you must have five non-paired cards that are 8 or below. It is entirely feasible that no one will win the Lo hand, if no player has a hand of five cards that are 8 or below. In that scenario, the best Hi hand wins the entire pot.

Seven Card Stud - This game is a bit different from the Texas Hold'em or Omaha games. In Seven Card Stud, each player receives 7 cards during the game in totality: 3 "down" cards, and four personal "up" cards, which can be seen by all the game participants. In the first round, each player get two down cards and one up card. Each player is permitted 1 bet and 3 raises in each betting round. In the next set of rounds, another face-up card is dealt and similar betting occurs. In the final round, a down card is dealt. After the final betting round, the player with the best 5-card hand (of the 7 dealt to him) wins, amongst the players remaining.

Seven Card Stud 8 or Better - Seven Card Stud 8 or better is a variation of the Seven Card Stud game. The same rules apply with the exception that there are two winning hands: one for the best Hi hand, and one for the best Lo Hand. As in the Omaha 8 or Better game, the Lo hand cannot have a card higher than an 8; if no players have this, then the entire pot goes to the player with the best Hi hand.

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